Another cracking moth this morning.

Wednesday 24th July 2024.

This Plumed Fan-foot moth was a nice surprise this morning.

Though there was a clear sky this morning when I entered the back garden at 5.30am, I was surprised at how many moths I had and some quality too. Pick of the bunch was a Plumed Fan-foot moth, a species I saw last year in my garden, but flew off before I could get a photo. This time, the moth was far more co-operative and though it used to be a rare immigrant, it is now breeding in Hampshire, but still a sought after species.

Above, my first Chestnut Tortrix of the year and below, a smart Blair's Mocha moth.

Other notable species was my first Chestnut Tortrix of the year, a species of  micro moth that I get annually to my moth box. My second Dusky Sallow was on one of the outside egg trays and a smart Blair’s Mocha was perched on another egg tray. Among the micro moths, there was both Italian and Brown Bark Moth and a Codling Moth and other immigrant moths included a Silver Y and a Diamond-back Moth. A total of 41 moths of 28 species were noted today.

My second Dusky Sallow moth of the year.

The moths present this morning included the following:

• Plumed Fan-foot (New for Year)
• Brimstone Moth 2
• Dusky Sallow
• Willow Beauty
• Silver Y
• Riband Wave 2
• Common Rustic
• Common Emerald
• Blair’s Mocha
• Marbled Beauty
• Bright-side Brown-eye
• Lime-speck Pug
• Common Plume 3
• Brown House Moth
• Diamond-back Moth
• Brown Bark Moth
• Codling Moth
• Light Brown Apple Moth 4
• Black-banded Masoner 3
• Four-spotted Yellowneck
• Common Masoner 3
• Rusty-dot Pearl 2
• Chestnut Tortrix (NFY)
• Blushed Knot-horn 2
• Italian Bark Moth
• Bittersweet Moth
• Pellitory Cosmet
• Beautiful Plume

Overhead, a screaming flock of around 20+ Swifts were flying around and a pair of Greenfinches flew north. A small flock of House Sparrows soon after came into my garden to feast on some of the moths, but my dogs kept chasing them away. I have to top up the bird feeders again after throwing away some of the old food that the birds never touched. It doesn't help that the Snails were crawling all over the food and probably could leave some form of infection within the food. 

Later this afternoon, I got to the bottom of what two micro moths were that I potted out earlier. Bittersweet Moth and the very small Pellitory Cosmet were identified and while watering the garden, both Beautiful Plume and Bright-line Brown-eye flew out of the plants.

A superb photo of a Black-tailed Godwit at Keyhaven Nature Reserve. Photo by Rob Porter.